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Randy Bowers kept his comments brief as he stood, holding the gold chief's badge once worn by his father, Charles Bowers Sr., after Erie Mayor Joe Sinnott swore him in as the city's new police chief on Tuesday morning.

"First of all, I want the community to know I take this job very seriously. My pledge to the community is to do my best every day that I'm here," Bowers said during a ceremony on the fifth floor of Erie City Hall.

Bowers, 59, then addressed the members of the 173-member police force, which he has served for 35 years.

"I think highly of our department. I'm fortunate to inherit an organization that stands on its own and always does a good job," Bowers said. "I will ask the officers to come every day, do their job, treat all people fairly and equally, and continue the good work into the future."

Bowers on Tuesday assumed a post formerly held by Steve Franklin, who retired on Friday after a little more than seven years as police chief. He fills a position that Charles Bowers Sr. held in 1971 and 1972, and that his brother, Charles Bowers, held from 2002 until he retired in May 2006.

Sinnott said in announcing Bowers' appointment that he was pleased he is going to carry on the tradition of the Bowers family in becoming the city's next police chief.

"Randy spent a lot of time on the Erie police force, and he's done a wonderful job," Sinnott said. "He's done a great job as the ranking deputy chief in the time I've been mayor."

Bowers was promoted to deputy chief in 2005 and formerly served as lead traffic investigator for the bureau.

Erie County District Attorney Jack Daneri said Bowers will not only carry on a family tradition, but also will carry on the tradition of work done by Franklin and the Erie police as a whole.

"When I think of Randy and his family, 'salt of the earth' comes to mind. And I think you heard that in his words: 'Come to work, do the best you can each and every day, that's all I'm asking.' That's so fundamentally important to what we do in law enforcement, and I'm grateful and proud to be working with him," Daneri said.

Sinnott also announced Tuesday the promotion of D.J. Fuhrmann to replace Bowers as deputy chief of patrol. Fuhrmann, 49, joined the Erie Bureau of Police in 1988 and has spent his 25-year career in patrol, including stints as sergeant, group lieutenant and captain. He also previously served on the bureau's SWAT Team.

"I'm very thankful to my former partners, supervisors and chiefs who prepared me for this job. I feel I'm well prepared to take over and help out the department," Fuhrmann said. "I'm excited, and I look forward to coming to work every day and serving with the best law enforcement men and women in the United States."

Tuesday's appointments complete changes in the police bureau's top brass that started on March 28, when Sinnott announced the retirement of Joseph Emerick, deputy chief of administration, and appointed Donald Dacus to fill the post. On April 4, Sinnott appointed James Daniel as inspector in the bureau's Internal Affairs Unit, filling a vacancy left by the promotion of Dacus.

TIM HAHN can be reached at 870-1731 or by e-mail. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ETNhahn.

Online Extras

MORE ON CRIME: To see more coverage of crime in the Erie area, including Erie County’s Most Wanted and a map of incidents in Erie and Millcreek Township, click here.